In high school, students from all backgrounds go through multiple similar milestones. One thing that nearly every Hudson student experiences is learning how to drive.
The anticipation and excitement of learning to drive is an exciting thing teens experience, but they often forget how important safe and knowledgeable driving actually is.
While driving is a wonderful thing, it can be dangerous and comes with huge responsibility. That responsibility begins with whoever has the job of teaching young teens about the information and regulations of the roadways. This is a unique type of pressure most teachers don’t experience. That is why Ms. Lani, the driver’s ed instructor at Hudson High School, is such an important contributor to our community at large.
Ms. Lani explains that when she was a kid, the process of getting your license was nothing like it is today. She said that she got her license almost immediately after passing the permit test despite knowing very little about cars, operating a vehicle and driving in general.
Nowadays, things are quite different. When you finally turn 15 ½ years old, you are eligible to get only your temporary permit and begin the drivers ed course in preparation for your license. The current laws require permit holders to attend 24 hours of drivers ed training before entering the process of in-cars and becoming licensed. These modernized rules ensure that all drivers are safe and educated.
The HCER Driver’s Ed program lasts six days in the span of three weeks, with four hours long classes with a fifteen minute break halfway through. These long classes can be a struggle for students, but for Ms. Lani, it’s the opposite. Ms. Lani shares, “the long classes don’t affect me at all and I wait all day long to come to work because I love what I do.” Her dedication is shown through her teaching ethics.
Ms. Lani’s positive mentality is another factor that contributes to the rewarding learning environment she has created. Through interesting stories and collaborative strategies, Ms. Lani is capable of flipping a traditionally boring class into something more interesting. Doing this is vital considering the importance of the material being taught.
Ms. Lani believes that “knowledge is power,” which is why she thinks learning how to drive is so important. “I just make sure my students get the information they need and I treat them as my own,” Ms. Lani comments. Her selflessness and motivation to share her knowledge further proves how she is such a positive contributor to the Hudson community.
As for every teacher, Ms. Lani can occasionally have struggles with her classes. “My biggest struggle is dealing with “perfect” students,” Ms. Lani admits. “Perfect” is Ms. Lani’s term for what other teachers may call disruptive or troublesome kids. Despite these certain students. she still enjoys all of her students and seeing their progress throughout the course.
Ms. Lani isn’t the type of teacher that would cause you to sit in a class with feelings of fear when you don’t understand a topic or may have forgotten to do an out-of-class assignment. She believes that mistakes are what makes a good person because in reality no one is perfect. “I love my job because I love my kids,” shares Ms. Lani.
It cannot be stressed enough how much driving affects one’s life and every person around it, and having a teacher that students value with comfort and respect make classes better and create a deeper motivation to learn.
Driver’s Ed in-person isn’t the only way to get your 24 hours of classes. There are online courses offered as well. Ms. Lani thinks in-person classes are a better option for students learning how to drive since, “most who take online courses end up coming back because they aren’t helpful and students aren’t able to ask questions,” Ms. Lani states. It is important to take this information into account when one makes the decision whether to take in-person or online courses.
As an experienced driver, Ms. Lani shares her best advice to young drivers is to “treat driving just as you do relationships, once you get too comfortable behind the wheel is when problems begin to occur.”
Considering many kids learn how to drive from their parents or guardians, it is useful to gain external knowledge from a certified instructor with wisdom like Ms. Lani. No one is perfect and most likely most parents don’t know about certain laws and strategies either. It allows students to learn so much more about driving and laws that they previously didn’t even know existed.
Now that you are a 16, 17 or even an adult driver, remember the pivotal information Ms. Lani has given. Her teachings are something that you will take with you throughout your entire life. Every time you grab your car keys, think about what Ms. Lani has shared and continue to be safe and responsible on the roadways for the rest of your life.
